Determined not to succumb to the darkness, he summoned the frail remnants of strength that lingered within his battered body.
With great effort, he attempted to push himself closer to the footpath just a few centimeters away.
He knew that lying on the asphalt would grant him a semblance of peace, but the weight of acceptance felt heavy on his heart. He couldn't bring himself to face the pain and suffering that would inevitably befall his mother, the only family he had left in this world.
"I—I can't die," he murmured, his resolve igniting a flicker of hope.
Summoning every ounce of adrenaline coursing through him, he somehow managed to roll onto the footpath, landing with his eyes fixed ahead.
He dared to believe that he might just survive this ordeal; someone would surely pass by and call for an ambulance.
All he had to do was wait.
He brought his broken hand—still capable of movement, despite the injury—over his eyes, trying to shield himself from the harsh reality.
Blood soaked his body and face, leaving him drenched in misery, feeling as if he couldn't even grasp death peacefully.
VROOOOOOM
'!?!'
Suddenly, as he lay on the footpath, the roar of a loud engine pierced the air, prompting him to glance in its direction.
His eyes, barely under his control, widened in disbelief as he saw a sleek black Onyx car barreling toward him at a terrifying speed, sending shivers down his spine.
It felt as though today was meant to be his last. Even after having crawled onto the footpath, he was seconds away from meeting his end.
Memories of his ailing mother flashed through his mind, and in a desperate bid for survival, he screamed, "STOOOOPPP!!!"
Screeeech!
Miraculously, his words seemed to have the desired effect. The car screeched to a halt, its tires screeching against the pavement and leaving a trail of rubber marks before stopping just inches from his face.
His body trembled, first from the fear of the accident and now again from the close brush with death.
"Huh?" Leo replied, surprised. He watched as Avendial opened the back door of his sports car, revealing that there was indeed a backseat despite its sleek design. With little regard for Leo's injuries, Avendial lifted him and unceremoniously threw him into the backseat.
The jarring motion aggravated Leo's wounds, and he winced as pain coursed through his body.
'?!'
Just when he thought it couldn't get worse, he felt a hard shove against his back.
"Get in," Avendial commanded, using his foot to forcefully push the man into the car. He gave one last shove before slamming the door shut, sealing Leo inside.
"How ruthless of you," Aecilia remarked as she observed Avendial's expression. He looked irritated, almost disappointed in the situation.
Yet, despite his annoyance, Aecilia felt differently. An instinctual sense told her that helping that man was the right thing to do, as if some unseen fortune was guiding her choices. Her gut feelings had never led her astray before.
"Let's go," Avendial announced, shifting his focus back to the road ahead as he entered the car and took his seat.
"Of course, why not, boss," Aecilia said, scoffing at how she was treated as just a driver. Without wasting any more time, she slipped into the car and accelerated toward the nearby hospital.
---
"Is that the one mentioned by the young master?" a man in the front seat asked, peering through the window as they watched the sleek black Onyx sports car drift away. Stuck in the slow crawl of traffic, they felt outclassed and outpaced.
What caught their attention even more was when the car unexpectedly veered onto the footpath, breaking traffic rules with audacity. The woman behind the wheel displayed impressive skill as she maneuvered the sports car, effortlessly climbing onto the raised platform.
One of the men, clearly impressed, pulled out a diary to make a note.
They prided themselves on their meticulous work, committed to observing even the smallest details.
They had already deduced that the man was kind-hearted and that the woman who accompanied him was an exceptionally skilled driver.
"Stay close behind them, but don't let ourselves be seen," a woman in the back seat instructed the driver.
The driver nodded, and along with the two men in the car, accelerated to follow the trail of the sports car that had sped off just moments earlier.